A job method, an image forming apparatus cluster, and a storage medium

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of image forming, and in particular to a job method, an image forming device cluster and a storage medium.The method comprises: when a first image processing performance of a first image forming device itself cannot satisfy a current job, obtaining a plurality of second image processing performances corresponding to a plurality of second image forming devices in a same local area network; determining a target image processing performance and a target image forming device from the plurality of second image processing performances according to a remaining image processing performance required by the current job; and calling the target image processing performance of the target image forming device and the first image processing performance to execute the current job at the first image forming device.The embodiment of the present application can call image processing hardware resources of other device nodes in the same local area network to execute a job, thereby expanding the job function of the image forming device and improving the job efficiency of the image forming device.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of image forming, in particular to a job method, an image forming device cluster and a storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0002] An image forming device is a device for forming an image on a recording medium based on an imaging principle, such as a printer, a copier, a fax machine, a multifunction device, an electrostatic printing device, and any other device capable of implementing an image forming function. The image forming device supports various job operations such as printing, copying, or scanning. Whether the image forming device can complete various jobs is limited by its own processing performance. Generally, when the current image forming device cannot perform a job, a higher-function image forming device must be replaced to perform the job, which inevitably increases costs. Moreover, the current image forming device has a single function and can only perform one job at a time, which is low in job efficiency. Therefore, how to expand and improve the function of the image forming device and improve the job efficiency has become a problem to be solved. SUMMARY

[0003] Therefore, the embodiments of the present application provide a job method, an image forming device cluster and a storage medium. The image forming device responding to a job requirement can call the image processing hardware resources of other device nodes in the same local area network to locally execute a job when the image forming device has limited resources, thereby expanding the job function of the image forming device and improving the job efficiency of the image forming device.

[0004] In a first aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a job method applied to an image forming device cluster, and the job method comprises the following steps.

[0005] When a first image processing performance of a first image forming device cannot meet a current job, a plurality of second image processing performances corresponding to a plurality of second image forming devices in the same local area network as the first image forming device are acquired.

[0006] According to a remaining image processing performance required by the current job, a target image processing performance and a target image forming device of the target image processing performance are determined from the plurality of second image processing performances.

[0007] The target image processing performance of the target image forming device and the first image processing performance are called to execute the current job at the first image forming device.

[0008] Optionally, when the first image processing performance of the first image forming device cannot meet the current job, the plurality of second image processing performances corresponding to the plurality of second image forming devices in the same local area network as the first image forming device are acquired, comprising the following steps.

[0009] determining, according to a resource requirement list required by the current job, a number of residual image processing performances required by the first image forming apparatus when the first image processing performance of the first image forming apparatus itself cannot meet the current job;

[0010] starting an SSDP simple discovery service, and searching for a second image forming apparatus according to the number of residual image processing performances in the same local area network;

[0011] when a number of second image forming apparatuses having any of the residual image processing performances are searched, generating a device resource list of the number of second image forming apparatuses, wherein the device resource list includes second image processing performances corresponding to the number of second image forming apparatuses.

[0012] Optionally, after the number of second image forming apparatuses having any of the residual image processing performances are searched, the device resource list of the number of second image forming apparatuses is generated, and the method further comprises:

[0013] sorting the number of second image processing performances in the device resource list according to priority information of the number of second image forming apparatuses to form an updated device resource list.

[0014] Optionally, the determining, according to the residual image processing performance required by the current job, a target image processing performance from a plurality of second image processing performances and a target image forming apparatus corresponding to the target image processing performance comprises:

[0015] obtaining working state information of the number of second image processing performances in the device resource list, wherein the working state information is used to indicate that the second image processing performance is in a disabled state or an available state;

[0016] taking the second image processing performance in the available state as the target image processing performance, and taking a device corresponding to the target image processing performance as the target image forming apparatus.

[0017] Optionally, the calling the target image processing performance of the target image forming apparatus and the first image processing performance to execute the current job by the first image forming apparatus comprises:

[0018] establishing resource mapping between the first image forming apparatus and the number of target image forming apparatuses;

[0019] calling the target image processing performance of the number of target image forming apparatuses through a remote protocol to integrate in the first image forming apparatus;

[0020] performing a first image operation of the current job by the first image processing capability and performing a plurality of remaining image operations of the current job by a plurality of the target image processing capabilities, so as to enable the first image forming device to perform the current job.

[0021] Optionally, the calling adopts an RPC remote procedure calling service.

[0022] Optionally, the first image forming device and a plurality of the second image forming devices form a distributed system; when a new image forming device is detected to join the distributed system, image processing capability settings possessed by the new image forming device after successful joining are shared to other image forming devices.

[0023] Optionally, the first image processing capability and each of the second image processing capabilities refer to image processing hardware resources for implementing different image processing functions, and the image processing hardware resources include but are not limited to one or more of a scanning image processing unit, a scaling image processing unit, a rotating image processing unit, a translating image processing unit, a scaling image processing unit, a gray scale transforming image processing unit, a filtering image processing unit and a converting image processing unit.

[0024] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an image forming device cluster, the image forming device cluster comprising a first image forming device and a plurality of second image forming devices in a same local area network as the first image forming device, wherein,

[0025] when the first image processing capability of the first image forming device itself cannot meet a current job, obtaining a plurality of second image processing capabilities corresponding to a plurality of second image forming devices in a same local area network as the first image forming device;

[0026] determining a target image processing capability and a target image forming device of the target image processing capability from the plurality of second image processing capabilities according to a remaining image processing capability required by the current job;

[0027] calling the target image processing capability of the target image forming device and the first image processing capability to perform the current job at the first image forming device.

[0028] Optionally, when the first image processing capability of the first image forming device itself cannot meet a current job, obtaining a plurality of second image processing capabilities corresponding to a plurality of second image forming devices in a same local area network as the first image forming device comprises:

[0029] determining, according to a resource requirement list required by the current job, a number of residual image processing performances required by the first image forming apparatus when the first image processing performance of the first image forming apparatus itself cannot meet the current job;

[0030] starting an SSDP simple discovery service, searching for other image forming apparatuses according to the number of residual image processing performances in the same local area network;

[0031] generating a device resource list of the number of second image forming apparatuses when the number of second image forming apparatuses with any of the residual image processing performances are searched, wherein the device resource list includes second image processing performances corresponding to the number of second image forming apparatuses.

[0032] Optionally, the determining, according to the residual image processing performances required by the current job, a target image processing performance and a target image forming apparatus of the target image processing performance from the number of second image processing performances, comprises:

[0033] obtaining working state information of each second image processing performance of the response, wherein the working state information is used to indicate that the second image processing performance is in a disabled state or an available state;

[0034] taking the second image processing performance in the available state as the target image processing performance, and taking a device corresponding to the target image processing performance as the target image forming apparatus.

[0035] Optionally, the first image processing performance and each of the second image processing performances refer to image processing hardware resources for implementing different image processing functions, and the image processing hardware resources include, but are not limited to, one or more of a scanning image processing unit, a scaling image processing unit, a rotating image processing unit, a translating image processing unit, a scaling image processing unit, a gray scale conversion image processing unit, a filtering image processing unit and a conversion image processing unit.

[0036] Optionally, the first image forming apparatus and the number of second image forming apparatuses form a distributed system; when a new image forming apparatus is detected to be added to the distributed system, image processing performances possessed by the new image forming apparatus after successful addition are shared to other image forming apparatuses.

[0037] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a storage medium including a stored program, which, when executed, controls a device where the storage medium is located to perform the job method of the first aspect.

[0038] In the job method provided by the embodiment of the present application, when a first image processing performance of a first image forming device itself cannot meet a current job, a plurality of second image processing performances corresponding to a plurality of second image forming devices in a same local area network as the first image forming device are acquired; a target image processing performance and a target image forming device of the target image processing performance are determined from the plurality of second image processing performances according to a remaining image processing performance required by the current job; and the target image processing performance of the target image forming device and the first image processing performance are invoked to execute the current job at the first image forming device. In the scheme, when image processing hardware resources required by an image forming device to execute a job cannot meet the job requirement, the image forming device can invoke image processing hardware resources of other device nodes in the same local area network through network resource sharing to execute the job, so that the job function of the image forming device can be expanded and the job efficiency of the image forming device can be improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0039] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments or prior art description will be briefly introduced. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present application, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort.

[0040] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an image forming device cluster provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of an image forming device cluster image processing hardware resource sharing mode provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 3 A flowchart of a job method provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a resource requirement list provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of an available image processing hardware resource list provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a specified image processing hardware resource list provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0046] Figure 7 A hardware resource list arranged according to device nodes provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0047] Figure 8 A flowchart of a working method provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0048] Figure 9 A flowchart of another working method provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0049] Figure 10 A flowchart of another operating method provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0050] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an image forming apparatus provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0051] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an image forming apparatus provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0052] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0053] This invention provides an image forming apparatus cluster, such as Figure 1 As shown. This image forming apparatus cluster refers to the integration of multiple image forming apparatuses through a distributed architecture, that is, all image forming apparatuses form a distributed system. The image forming apparatuses in this embodiment include, but are not limited to, printers, scanners, copiers, fax machines, and multifunction printers that can print, scan, copy, and fax. All image forming apparatuses are connected to the same local area network (LAN) via a network. Image forming apparatuses belonging to the same LAN can also be referred to as device nodes of the LAN. The image processing performance configured by image forming apparatuses belonging to the same LAN can be shared within the LAN. When a new image forming apparatus is detected joining the distributed system, the newly joined image forming apparatus is also referred to as a device node with a network, and its image processing performance is shared with other image forming apparatuses.

[0054] The sharing of image processing performance within a local area network within an image forming apparatus cluster means that any image forming apparatus can access the image processing performance of other image forming apparatuses belonging to the same local area network. Optionally, the image forming apparatus also supports other image forming apparatuses belonging to the same local area network accessing its own image processing performance.

[0055] In some embodiments, the manner in which the image forming device cluster shares the image processing performance of the local area network to execute a job can include:

[0056] When the first image forming device itself cannot satisfy the first image processing performance required by the current job, a plurality of second image processing performances corresponding to a plurality of second image forming devices in the same local area network as the first image forming device are acquired;

[0057] According to the remaining image processing performance required by the current job, a target image processing performance and a target image forming device of the target image processing performance are determined from the plurality of second image processing performances;

[0058] The target image processing performance of the target image forming device is invoked to execute the current job at the first image forming device together with the first image processing performance.

[0059] Specifically, any image forming device in the image forming device cluster can serve as the first image forming device, and can also receive jobs sent by a client. The client can be a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone, an IPAD, or a fixed terminal such as a PC computer.

[0060] Then, when the first image forming device receives a plurality of jobs, the first image forming device first determines the image processing performance resource requirement required to execute any job, and then determines whether the image processing performance of the first image forming device can satisfy the resource requirement of the job. If not, the first image forming device determines the remaining image processing performance required by the first image forming device, selects a target image forming device having the remaining image processing performance from other image forming devices in the local area network in which the first image forming device is located, and then invokes the corresponding remaining image processing performance of the target image forming device through a remote calling program to execute the job together with the image processing performance of the first image forming device at the first image forming device.

[0061] Further, if the first image forming device receives a plurality of jobs, the first image forming device first forms a job list of the plurality of jobs and an image processing performance resource requirement list of all jobs. Then, for each job and its corresponding image processing performance resource requirement list, it is determined whether the image processing performance of the first image forming device can satisfy the resource requirement required by the current job.

[0062] In the embodiment of the present application, when the first image forming device itself cannot meet the current job in terms of the first image processing performance, the required residual image processing performance of the first image forming device is determined according to the resource requirement list required by the current job; the SSDP simple discovery service is started, and other image forming devices are searched according to the residual image processing performance in the same local area network; when the second image forming devices with any of the residual image processing performance are searched, the device resource list of the second image forming devices is generated, wherein the device resource list includes the second image processing performance corresponding to the second image forming devices.

[0063] Since the working state of the second image processing performance of the second image forming device with the residual image processing performance can be in the disabled state and cannot be used, after the second image forming device with the residual image processing performance is determined, the working state of the second image processing performance needs to be determined, and only the second image processing performance with the working state in the available state (available / idle) is obtained as the target image processing performance.

[0064] In the embodiment of the present application, the image processing performance refers to the image processing hardware resource for realizing different image processing functions. The image processing includes but is not limited to scanning, rotating, reducing, enlarging, and the like of the image. The image processing hardware resource includes but is not limited to one or more of the scanning image processing unit, the scaling image processing unit, the rotating image processing unit, the translation image processing unit, the scale image processing unit, the gray scale conversion image processing unit, the filtering image processing unit, and the conversion image processing unit with the corresponding image processing function.

[0065] Based on this mode, the image processing hardware resources of the image forming devices in the same local area network are shared, so that the image forming device with single or low image processing performance can also execute any high-demand job by calling the image processing performance of other image forming devices, thereby saving the cost and being more suitable for the scene of small-sized image forming devices.

[0066] For better understanding of the technical scheme of the present application, please refer to Figure 2 Another image forming device cluster image processing hardware resource sharing mode provided by the embodiment of the present application is shown in the schematic diagram. Figure 2 As shown in the schematic diagram, a plurality of printers are connected to the same local area network. For example, the printer A, the printer B, and the printer C are connected to the same local area network. Of course, the local area network can also access the printers D, E, F, and the like, and each printer accessing the local area network is a node in the local area network. Of course, if the nodes in the local area network are disconnected, they will automatically exit the local area network. Figure 2In the embodiment, the image processing performance of the printer A itself is configured with a scaling operation unit and a rotating operation unit (as shown in the solid line block in FIG. 1) for implementing the image processing unit for scaling and rotating operation of the image. Figure 2 In the embodiment, the image processing performance of the printer B itself is configured with a scaling operation unit and a scanning operation unit (as shown in the solid line block in FIG. 2) for implementing the image processing unit for scaling and scanning operation of the image. Figure 2 In the embodiment, the image processing performance of the printer C itself is not configured with the image operation unit, and cannot perform any operation on the image.

[0067] Based on the printer provided in the embodiment, the image processing hardware resources that can be shared by the printers in the local area network include: the scaling operation unit and the scanning operation unit of the printer B can be called by the printer A through network resource sharing (as shown in the dashed line block in FIG. 1). Figure 2 In the embodiment, the image processing hardware resources that can be shared by the printers in the local area network include: the scaling operation unit and the scanning operation unit of the printer B can be called by the printer A through network resource sharing (as shown in the dashed line block in FIG. 1). Figure 2 In the embodiment, the image processing hardware resources that can be shared by the printers in the local area network include: the scaling operation unit and the scanning operation unit of the printer B can be called by the printer A through network resource sharing (as shown in the dashed line block in FIG. 1). Figure 2

[0068] In this way, when the multiple printers and the current printer cannot perform the job, the job can be completed through the image processing hardware resource sharing mode, and the user can directly obtain the job execution result at the current printer, without needing to identify which printer performs the job, or move to other printers to obtain the job execution result. For example, when the user needs to print a 10-page prescription cost list, the printer A is used to perform the printing of the document. The printer A finds that the rotating operation unit is needed to complete the printing of the 10-page document, and the rotating operation unit of the printer B in the same layer of the adjacent office and the scaling operation unit of the printer C in the next layer of the office are called (it is assumed that the rotating operation is performed first, and the scaling operation is performed later), so that the printer A directly integrates the rotating operation of the printer B and the scaling operation unit of the printer C to complete the printing of the document. In this way, the user can directly obtain the printing result at the printer A, without needing to run to the printer C to obtain the printing result, and without needing to identify which printer (the printer B or the printer C) performs the printing job before obtaining the printing result. Especially in the case that the printer resources are limited and the job demand is high, based on the embodiment, not only the job efficiency can be improved, the job function of the limited image forming device can be expanded, the multiple job demands can be implemented at the same time, the user experience can be greatly improved, the cost can be saved, and the different user demands can be met.

[0069] Referring to Figure 3 ​A flowchart of a job method provided by an embodiment of the present application. Figure 3 The execution subject of the method shown can be any image forming device accessing a local area network. For the sake of convenience of description, the image forming devices in the same local area network other than the execution subject are referred to as device nodes. As shown in FIG. 1, the execution subject and the device nodes are connected to each other through a network. Figure 3 The method shown, the processing steps of the method include:

[0070] 101, the first image forming device determines a resource requirement list required for completing a job in response to a job requirement.

[0071] Specifically, the first image forming device is an image forming device receiving a job. The job requirement can be one job or multiple jobs. The multiple jobs can be issued by the same user or by different users. If multiple jobs are issued, a job list is generated. The resource requirement list is used to indicate the image processing hardware resources required for completing each job. That is, when the image forming device receives one or more jobs, the image processing hardware resources required for completing each job can be determined. Of course, the image processing hardware resources required by different jobs can be the same or different. In an embodiment of the present application, the image processing hardware resources refer to image operation units / image processing units for implementing different image processing functions. Specifically, the image processing hardware resources include, but are not limited to, a combination of one or more of a scan image processing unit, a scaling image processing unit, a rotation image processing unit, a translation image processing unit, a scale image processing unit, a gray scale conversion image processing unit, a filter image processing unit, and a conversion image processing unit. The scaling image processing unit includes a reduction image processing unit and an enlargement image processing unit, and in some embodiments, the scaling image processing unit further includes a magnification image processing unit. According to the image processing hardware resources required for completing each job, a resource requirement list can be generated. The resource requirement list can include at least one resource requirement item, and each resource requirement item can include one or more combinations of a job identifier, a required resource identifier, or a required resource quantity. The job identifier is used to distinguish between different jobs, such as by a job name. The required resource identifier can be a resource type. In an embodiment of the present application, the resource type can be represented by a resource name.

[0072] In one example, each resource requirement item of the resource requirement list can include a job identifier, an image processing hardware resource name required by the job corresponding to the job identifier, and a resource quantity.

[0073] In one example, each resource requirement item of the resource requirement list can include a hardware resource name and a resource number. That is, after the image forming apparatus receives one or more jobs, the image forming apparatus determines the image processing hardware resources required to complete each job, and aggregates the numbers of various types of image processing hardware resources required according to the types (names) of the required image processing hardware resources.

[0074] Referring to Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a resource requirement list provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the resource requirement list includes a plurality of resource requirement items, each of which includes a resource name and a resource requirement number. The resource name is used to represent the type of image processing hardware resource required. For example, one scanning operation unit is required, two rotation operation units are required, and one scaling operation unit is required, and so on. Figure 4

[0075] 102, determining whether the image processing hardware resources of the first image forming apparatus itself satisfy the image processing hardware resource requirement for completing the current job.

[0076] Specifically, in this step, the image processing hardware resources required for each job form a (image processing) resource requirement list. Whether the remote hardware resource calling program needs to be started is determined according to the comparison result of the image processing hardware resources of the first image forming apparatus itself and the image processing hardware resources required for the current job. If the image processing hardware resources of the first image forming apparatus itself can complete the current job, the image processing hardware resources of other image forming apparatuses do not need to be remotely called, that is, the local image processing hardware resources of the first image forming apparatus satisfy the resource requirement of the current job, and the job is directly executed. On the contrary, if the image processing hardware resources of the first image forming apparatus itself are insufficient to complete the current job, the remote calling program needs to be started to find a second image forming apparatus with remaining image processing performance. For example, a job 2 requires a resource requirement of one scanning operation unit, one rotation operation unit, and one scaling operation unit, while the first image forming apparatus only has the image processing hardware performance of the scanning operation unit and cannot satisfy the requirement of the job 2. The first image forming apparatus can integrate the rotation operation unit and the scaling operation unit of other image forming apparatuses with the scanning operation unit of itself by network resource sharing to execute the job 2. In some embodiments, the rotation operation unit and the scaling operation unit called from the local area network can belong to the same image forming apparatus or to different image forming apparatuses.

[0077] ​Further, if the first image forming apparatus receives multiple jobs, the first image forming apparatus determines whether the local image processing hardware resources satisfy the resource required by each job. For example, if job 1 requires one rotation operation unit, and the local image processing hardware resources of the first image forming apparatus satisfy the resource requirement of job 1, the first image forming apparatus directly calls the rotation operation unit to execute job 1.

[0078] 103. When the first image processing performance of the first image forming apparatus itself cannot satisfy the current job, a plurality of second image processing performances corresponding to a plurality of second image forming apparatuses in the same local area network as the first image forming apparatus are obtained.

[0079] Specifically, based on step 102, when the image processing hardware resources of the first image forming apparatus itself cannot satisfy the current job, a simple discovery service (SSDP) needs to be started to find other image forming apparatuses in the same local area network as the first image forming apparatus through the SSDP simple discovery service, call the image processing hardware resources of other device nodes in the same local area network, realize sharing of the image processing hardware resources in the local area network, complete execution of the current job, solve the problem of limited local image processing hardware resources of the first image forming apparatus, thereby extending the job function of the image forming apparatus, and not only can a single job be realized, but multiple jobs can also be executed simultaneously, which not only improves job efficiency, but also does not require additional hardware costs. In the embodiment of the present application, the image processing hardware resources in the local area network are shared, and the image processing hardware resources are reasonably utilized, thereby avoiding resource waste.

[0080] When starting the SSDP simple discovery service to find other device nodes, the remaining image processing performance required by the current job is used as a condition to find a second image forming apparatus having the remaining image processing performance. If the remaining image processing performance is multiple, the found second image forming apparatus can simultaneously have all the remaining image processing performance, or the found second image forming apparatus has part of the remaining image processing performance, and the image processing performance of multiple second image forming apparatuses includes the remaining image processing performance required by the current job after being summed up.

[0081] Based on this, step 103 specifically includes:

[0082] S1031. When the first image processing performance of the first image forming apparatus itself cannot satisfy the current job, a plurality of second image processing performances corresponding to a plurality of second image forming apparatuses in the same local area network as the first image forming apparatus are obtained.

[0083] S1032, start the SSDP simple discovery service, search for other image forming apparatuses according to the remaining image processing performance in the same LAN;

[0084] S1033, when a plurality of second image forming apparatuses having any of the remaining image processing performance are searched, generate a device resource list of the second image forming apparatuses, wherein the device resource list includes second image processing performance corresponding to the second image forming apparatuses.

[0085] That is, one or more second image forming apparatuses having the remaining image processing performance are searched for by the SSDP service, and then a device resource list of the one or more second image forming apparatuses is generated. The device resource list represents second image processing performance possessed by each of the second image forming apparatuses. The number of the second image processing performance is less than or equal to the number of the remaining image processing performance. Of course, the remaining image processing performance includes the second image processing performance. An image forming apparatus having any of the remaining image processing performance can be used as the second image forming apparatus.

[0086] The above search method is a fuzzy search method. The fuzzy search method is that, as long as an image forming apparatus having any image processing performance in the LAN responds and feeds back to the first image forming apparatus. The fuzzy search method does not consider the working state of the second image processing performance in the responding second image forming apparatus, does not consider the priority of the second image processing performance in the responding second image forming apparatus, and does not consider the processing speed of the second image processing performance in the responding second image forming apparatus. For example, even if the working state of the second image processing performance in the second image forming apparatus is in occupation (use), the second image forming apparatus can still be used as the second image forming apparatus to be searched for. Thus, the first image forming apparatus needs to further determine whether the second image processing performance is available after receiving. Therefore, in order to improve the job execution efficiency, the fuzzy search method is usually suitable for a single job application scenario or an application scenario in which the number of image forming apparatuses accessing the LAN is small.

[0087] In some embodiments, the above search can also be an accurate search method. The accurate search method includes searching based on a specific image processing performance in the remaining image processing performance, searching according to the priority information of the device node, searching according to the working state / usage state of the remaining image processing performance being in an available state, etc. The accurate search method only responds and feeds back to the first image forming apparatus when the second image forming apparatus or the second image processing performance / image processing hardware resource meets the search condition. Thus, based on the accurate search method, unnecessary judgment operation of the first image forming apparatus on the working state of the device node is reduced, and the working efficiency is greatly improved, especially when the job types are different and multiple jobs are performed.

[0088] Based on this, the above-mentioned device resource list can be a fuzzy hardware resource list corresponding to a fuzzy search mode, or an accurate hardware resource list corresponding to an accurate search mode. Optionally, the fuzzy hardware resource list includes image processing hardware resource names and quantities of each device node accessing the same local area network, but does not include working state information of whether the image processing hardware resource is available. When the image forming apparatus needs to invoke the image processing hardware resource, the working state / working state of the image processing hardware resource can be queried again. The fuzzy hardware resource list is suitable for application scenarios in which the job types of multiple jobs are the same, or a single job, or the local area network contains fewer device nodes. The accurate hardware resource list is different from the fuzzy hardware resource list in that the accurate hardware resource list includes state information of whether the image processing hardware resource is available. The accurate hardware resource list is suitable for application scenarios in which job types are different, job demand is large, or the types / quantities of device nodes in the local area network are large.

[0089] 104. determining, from the remaining image processing performance required by the current job, a target image processing performance and a target image forming apparatus of the target image processing performance from the plurality of second image processing performances.

[0090] Specifically, based on the fuzzy search mode in step 103, the first image forming apparatus needs to further determine whether the image processing hardware resource in the one or more second image forming apparatuses responding is in an available state. Then, the second image forming apparatus whose image processing hardware resource is in the available state is taken as the target image forming apparatus, and the corresponding image processing performance is taken as the target image processing performance.

[0091] Similarly, based on the accurate search mode in step 103, after the first image forming apparatus has received the second image processing hardware resource in the available state and the corresponding second image forming apparatus, in order to further improve the execution efficiency and response speed, the second image processing hardware resources can be ranked to obtain the second image processing hardware resource with a high rank or fast response speed as the target image processing performance, and the corresponding second image forming apparatus is taken as the target image forming apparatus. It should be noted that the responding second image forming apparatus and the corresponding second image processing performance can also be directly taken as the target image forming apparatus and the corresponding target image processing performance.

[0092] In an embodiment, step 104 specifically includes:

[0093] S1041, obtaining working state information of each second image processing performance responding, wherein the working state information is used to indicate that the second image processing performance is in a disabled state or an available state;

[0094] S1042, taking the second image processing performance in the available state as a target image processing performance, and taking the device corresponding to the target image processing performance as a target image forming apparatus.

[0095] Specifically, the available state can be understood as that the image processing hardware resource is in an idle state and is not used. The disabled state can be understood as that the image processing hardware resource is in an occupied / busy state and is being used. The first image forming apparatus sequentially traverses the device resource list to obtain the target image processing hardware resource in the available state.

[0096] Further, the device resource list can include priority information of the device nodes, that is, the updated device resource list is formed according to the priority information of each second image forming apparatus. The priority information can represent the high, medium, and low grades of the second image forming apparatus, or the number of remaining image processing performances contained in the second image forming apparatus, or the number of remaining image processing performances in the available state contained in the second image forming apparatus, etc.

[0097] 105, calling the target image processing performance of the target image forming apparatus and the first image processing performance to execute the current job at the first image forming apparatus.

[0098] Specifically, the resource mapping is established among the device nodes in the same local area network, and when the device resources of the first image forming apparatus are limited, the target image forming apparatus can be called through mapping association to execute the job locally at the first image forming apparatus.

[0099] Specifically, the resource mapping is established among the device nodes in the same local area network, and when the device resources of the first image forming apparatus are limited, the target image forming apparatus can be called through mapping association to execute the job locally at the first image forming apparatus.

[0100] S1051, establishing resource mapping of the first image forming apparatus and a plurality of target image forming apparatuses;

[0101] S1052, calling the target image processing performance of a plurality of target image forming apparatuses through a remote protocol to integrate in the first image forming apparatus;

[0102] S1053, executing the first image operation of the current job through the first image processing performance and executing a plurality of remaining image operations of the current job through a plurality of target image processing performances, so that the first image forming apparatus can execute the current job.

[0103] Specifically, the above-mentioned call adopts a remote procedure call service (RPC). Before the first image forming apparatus calls the image processing hardware resource of the target image forming apparatus from the local area network according to the resource requirement list of the current job, the image processing hardware resources of each device node accessing the local area network can also be discovered and a device resource list can be generated by mapping association, which is used to support the first image forming apparatus to call the image processing hardware resource from the local area network. The device resource list includes a hardware resource list. The hardware resource list represents the information of each image processing hardware resource.

[0104] In some embodiments, the image processing hardware resources contained in the hardware resource list can be arranged in the order of discovery time. As shown in Figure 5 The hardware resource list can contain hardware resource information items arranged in the order of discovery time. Each hardware resource information item includes the UUID of the hardware resource, the hardware resource name, and the ID of the device to which the hardware resource belongs. Optionally, each hardware resource information item also includes state information of whether the image processing hardware resource is available. Optionally, the image processing hardware resources contained in the hardware resource list can be updated according to the update of the access state of the device node in the local area network and / or the available state of the image processing hardware resource. When the image processing hardware resources in the hardware resource list are arranged in the order of discovery time and contain state information of whether they are available, the first image forming apparatus can find the image processing hardware resource that meets the resource requirement list and is in an available state from the hardware resource list for calling, for executing the job.

[0105] In some embodiments, the image processing hardware resources contained in the hardware resource list can be arranged according to the resource type. Each type of image processing hardware resource can be represented by a resource name. The image processing hardware resource information of each type can include the resource identifier of the image processing hardware resource, the device identifier of the device to which the image processing hardware resource belongs, and optionally, the available state of the hardware resource. Referring to Figure 6 , an image processing hardware resource list of a specified type, i.e., a scaling operation unit, is exemplified. Figure 6 The hardware resource list shown in contains the scaling operation units possessed by each second image forming apparatus discovered from the local area network, and specifically contains the resource identifier of each scaling operation unit, the device identifier of the device to which the scaling operation unit belongs, and state information.

[0106] When the image processing hardware resources contained in the hardware resource list are arranged according to the resource types, the first image forming apparatus invokes the target image processing hardware resource from the local area network to execute the job together with the first image processing hardware resource of the first image forming apparatus, comprising: the first image forming apparatus acquires the resource types satisfying the resource requirement list of the current job from the hardware resource list, finds the target image processing hardware resource whose state information corresponding to the resource type is in the available state, and invokes to execute the job.

[0107] In some embodiments, the image processing hardware resources contained in the hardware resource list can be arranged according to the device node priority information. Referring to Figure 7 A hardware resource list arranged according to the device node priority information is provided for the embodiments of the present application. As shown in Figure 7 The hardware resource list arranged according to the device is referred to as a device resource list. The device resource list includes a plurality of device information items. Each device information item contains a device identifier, a device name, and a number of available resources of the device. Optionally, the device information item can not contain the available state of the image processing hardware resource. The first image forming apparatus can query whether the image processing hardware resource of the corresponding device is in the available state when invoking the image processing hardware resource. Specifically, the first image forming apparatus determines the priority of each device node in the hardware resource list, and determines the image processing hardware resource of each device node satisfying the resource requirement list and in the available state according to the priority information of each device node, and invokes to execute the job. Wherein, the priority of each device node can be determined according to the time of discovering the device node, the type of the device node, and / or according to the error record of the device node. In some embodiments, after performing the operation of discovering the resources of the device node, the device node discovered earlier has a higher priority. In some embodiments, the priority of the device can be determined according to the type of the device, for example, the device nodes are divided into high-end, medium-end, and low-end devices, and the priority of the device can be determined in the order of high-end, medium-end, and low-end. When discovering the device, the high-end device can be discovered first, and then the medium-end and low-end devices are discovered. In some embodiments, the error record of the device node can also be obtained, and the device node without error record within a preset time period from the current time or without preset error record can have a higher priority. Other ways of determining the priority of the device node are not described here.

[0108] In some embodiments, the timing of the first image forming apparatus performing the operation of discovering the hardware resources of each device node accessing the local area network can include: in response to the start of the first image forming apparatus or in response to determining the resource requirement list, the first image forming apparatus performs the operation of discovering the image processing hardware resources of each device node in the local area network. Wherein, in response to the start of the first image forming apparatus or in response to determining the resource requirement list, the discovered image processing hardware resources can be arranged according toFigures 5-7 The hardware resource list is arranged in any manner described above or a combination thereof.

[0109] In some embodiments, if the discovery operation of the image processing hardware resource is performed in response to the start of the first image forming apparatus, the image processing hardware resources included in the hardware resource list can be arranged in a time sequence of being discovered. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the image processing hardware resources included in the hardware resource list can be arranged in a time sequence of being discovered. Figure 5 Alternatively, the hardware resource list further includes state information of whether each image processing hardware resource is available. The first image forming apparatus can search the hardware resource list for the image processing hardware resources in the available state and call and execute the job.

[0110] In some embodiments, if the discovery operation of the hardware resource is performed after the resource requirement list is determined, the image processing hardware resources included in the hardware resource list can be arranged according to the resource type. More specifically, if the discovery operation of the image processing hardware resource is performed after the resource requirement list is determined, the image processing hardware resources can be discovered according to the required resource type and the hardware resource list can be generated according to the resource type. Specifically, the first image forming apparatus can determine the resource type of the image processing hardware resource required to complete the job according to the resource requirement list. Then, the first image forming apparatus discovers the image processing hardware resource satisfying the resource type from the local area network. In this way, the hardware resource list generated includes the hardware resource satisfying the resource type of the image processing hardware resource. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the hardware resource list generated includes the hardware resource satisfying the resource type of the image processing hardware resource. Figure 6 The image forming apparatus can search the hardware resource list including the specified resource type for the image processing hardware resource in the available state and call.

[0111] In some embodiments, if the discovery operation of the image processing hardware resource is performed after the resource requirement list is determined, the image processing hardware resources included in the hardware resource list can be arranged according to the device node to which the image processing hardware resource belongs. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the image processing hardware resources included in the hardware resource list can be arranged according to the device node to which the image processing hardware resource belongs. Figure 7 Then, the first image forming apparatus determines the priority of each device node in the hardware resource list. According to the priority of each device node, the image processing hardware resource in the available state in each device node is determined one by one, and the job is called and executed.

[0112] In the process of executing the current job by the first image forming apparatus, the corresponding image processing hardware resource is called according to the job execution order to execute the image operation corresponding to the job, so that the job is completed by the first image forming apparatus. The image operation refers to different image processing operations implemented by the image processing hardware resource. The image operation corresponds to the image processing function implemented by the image processing hardware resource, including but not limited to scanning operation, scaling operation, rotating operation, translation operation, scaling operation, gray scale transformation operation, conversion operation, magnification operation, etc.

[0113] Referring to Figure 8 , a flow chart of a job processing method is provided in the embodiment of the present application. For the convenience of understanding and description, the image processing hardware resource is referred to as hardware resource hereinafter, and the image forming apparatus starting a job is referred to as first image forming apparatus. As shown in Figure 8 , the processing steps of the method include:

[0114] 201, in response to the image forming apparatus starting, starting the SSDP service discovery of the hardware resource in the local area network.

[0115] 202, generating a hardware resource list. The hardware resource discovered by the SSDP is mapped with the device node in the local area network, and the hardware resource list is generated, which can be referred to as shown in Figure 5 .

[0116] 203, the image forming apparatus starting a job.

[0117] 204, in response to the job requirement, generating a resource requirement list.

[0118] 205, judging whether the local hardware resource meets the resource requirement list; if yes, jumping to step 206; if no, jumping to step 207.

[0119] 206, calling the local hardware resource to execute the job.

[0120] 207, based on the RPC, remotely calling the hardware resource and executing the job. Optionally, the image forming apparatus can find the hardware resource meeting the resource requirement list and in the available state from the hardware resource list, and remotely call the hardware resource through the RPC to execute the job.

[0121] 208, after the RPC execution is completed, receiving the execution state and execution result returned by the remote device node.

[0122] In the embodiment shown in Figure 8 , the image forming apparatus starts to actively search for the hardware resource of other device nodes in the local area network when starting. And the hardware resources are arranged in the hardware resource list according to the discovery time. Optionally, the generated hardware resource list contains the state information of whether the hardware resource is available. And the state information of the hardware resource in the hardware resource list can be updated in real time. Based on the embodiment of the present application, the hardware resource of the local area network can be sensed before the image forming apparatus executes the job, which facilitates the calling of the hardware resource of the local area network to execute the job. The disadvantage is that updating the state information of the hardware resource in real time occupies a part of network bandwidth. Therefore Figure 8 the embodiment shown in

[0123] Referring to Figure 9A flow chart of another job processing method provided by the embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. 4. As shown in the figure, the processing steps of the method include: Figure 9

[0124] 301. The image forming device starts a job.

[0125] 302. In response to the job requirement, a resource requirement list is generated.

[0126] 303. It is determined whether the local hardware resources meet the resource requirement list. If yes, go to step 304; if no, go to step 305.

[0127] 304. The local hardware resources are invoked to execute the job.

[0128] 305. The required resource type is determined according to the resource requirement list.

[0129] 306. The hardware resources of the specified type are discovered through the SSDP service.

[0130] 307. A hardware resource list is generated. The hardware resources discovered through the SSDP are mapped with the device nodes in the local area network, and a hardware resource list of the specified type is generated, as shown in FIG. 3. Figure 6

[0131] 308. The hardware resources are remotely invoked based on the RPC and the job is executed. Optionally, the image forming device can find the hardware resources that meet the resource requirement list and are in the available state from the hardware resource list of the specified type, and remotely invoke based on the RPC.

[0132] 309. After the RPC execution is completed, the execution status and the execution result returned by the remote device node are received.

[0133] Figure 9 As shown in the embodiment, after the resource requirement for executing the job is determined, the operation of discovering the hardware resources in the local area network is started, which can realize the on-demand searching of the hardware resources. Moreover Figure 9 As shown in the embodiment, the hardware resources can be searched according to the resource type of the hardware resources required for executing the job, so that the finally discovered hardware resources are of a unified type and can be used for the job requirement. Compared with the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the method does not waste the network bandwidth, and is suitable for the scenario where the number of image forming devices in the local area network is large. Figure 8

[0134] Referring to FIG. 4, another job processing method provided by the embodiment of the present application is shown. As shown in the figure, the processing steps of the method include: Figure 10 Figure 10 401. The image forming device starts a job.

[0135] 401. The image forming device starts a job. ​​​​

[0136] 402, generating a resource requirement list in response to the job requirement.

[0137] 403, judging whether the local image processing hardware resource meets the resource requirement list; if yes, jumping to step 404; if no, jumping to step 405.

[0138] 404, invoking the local image processing hardware resource to execute the job.

[0139] 405, starting the SSDP to discover the image processing hardware resource of each device node in the local area network.

[0140] 406, generating a device resource list H. The image processing hardware resource discovered through the SSDP is mapped with the device node in the local area network, and the discovered image processing hardware resource is arranged in the hardware resource list according to the device node. Optionally, the hardware resource list arranged according to the device node is referred to as the device resource list, which can be seen from FIG. 4. Figure 7

[0141] 407, acquiring the image processing hardware resource of the i-th device node of H. The initial value of i is 1, which is the device node with the highest priority in the device resource list H.

[0142] 408, judging whether the image processing hardware resource of the i-th device node is available; if available, executing step 409; if not available, setting i=i+1 and jumping back to step 407 to judge whether the hardware resource of the next device node is available, until i is the last device node in the list H.

[0143] 408, based on the RPC, invoking the image processing hardware resource of the i-th device node to integrate with the local image processing hardware resource to jointly execute the job.

[0144] 409, after the RPC is executed, receiving the execution status and execution result returned by the remote device node.

[0145] Figure 10 The embodiment shown in FIG. 4 searches the hardware resource of the local area network in the dimension of the device node, which is suitable for searching hardware resources in a larger range. In actual application scenarios, there are often multiple types of device nodes in the local area network, such as high-end devices, medium-end devices, and low-end devices. Therefore, the device search priority can be set in advance, such as searching the hardware resource of the local area network in the order of high-end-medium-end-low-end, and invoking the hardware resource according to the priority of the device node and executing the job. Figure 10 ​The illustrated embodiment is applicable to scenarios where there are multiple types of device nodes in a local area network.

[0146] Corresponding to the above method, embodiments of the present invention provide an image forming apparatus. See also... Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an image forming apparatus provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 11 As shown, the image forming apparatus includes:

[0147] The first determining module 501 is used to respond to job requirements and determine the list of resource requirements needed to complete the job.

[0148] The second determining module 502 is used to determine whether its own image processing performance meets the resource requirement list;

[0149] The network resource sharing module 503 is used to, when its own image processing performance does not meet the resource requirement list, call other image processing devices with the remaining image processing performance in the resource requirement list from the local area network where it is located and integrate its own image processing performance to perform the operation in the image forming apparatus.

[0150] The image forming apparatus of this invention can perform the operation methods involved in the above-described method embodiments. For parts of the image forming apparatus not described in detail in this invention, please refer to the description of the apparatus. Figures 2-10 The relevant descriptions of the illustrated embodiments are provided below. For the execution process and technical effects of this technical solution, please refer to [link / reference]. Figures 2-10 The descriptions in the illustrated embodiments will not be repeated here.

[0151] It should be understood that Figure 11 The division of the various modules in the image forming apparatus shown is merely a logical functional division. In actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into a single physical entity, or they can be physically separated. Furthermore, these modules can be implemented entirely in software via processing elements; they can be fully implemented in hardware; or some modules can be implemented in software via processing elements, while others are implemented in hardware. For example, the first determining module 501 and the second determining module 502 can be separate processing chips, or they can be integrated into a chip in the electronic device. The implementation of other modules is similar. Moreover, these modules can be fully or partially integrated together, or they can be implemented independently. During implementation, each step of the above method or each of the above modules can be completed through integrated logic circuits in the hardware of the processor element or through software instructions.

[0152] For example, these modules can be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above-described methods, such as one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or one or more Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), or one or more Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), etc. As another example, these modules can be integrated together as a system-on-a-chip (SOC).

[0153] Referring to Figure 12 A structural schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus is provided for an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 12 The image forming apparatus is in the form of a general computing device. The components of the computer device can include, but are not limited to, one or more processors 610, a communication interface 620, a memory 630, and a communication bus 640 connecting different system components, including the processor 610, the communication interface 620, and the memory 630.

[0154] The communication bus 640 represents one or more of several types of bus structures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, a graphics acceleration bus, a processor or local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures including Industry Standard Architecture (ISA), Micro Channel Architecture (MCA), Enhanced ISA (EISA), Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus.

[0155] Electronic devices typically include a variety of computer system readable media. Such media can be any available media that is located either internally or externally to an electronic device. It includes storage of removable and non-removable, volatile and non-volatile computer system storage media.

[0156] The memory 630 can include a computer system readable media in the form of volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM) and / or cache memory. The electronic device can further include other removable / non-removable, volatile / non-volatile computer system storage media. The memory 630 can include at least one program product having a set (e.g., at least one) of program modules that are configured to carry out the functions of embodiments of the application.

[0157] The processor 610 performs various function applications and data processing by running programs stored in the memory 630, such as implementing the image forming method provided by embodiments of the application.

[0158] Embodiments of the application provide a storage medium storing a stored program, which, when running, controls a device in which the storage medium is located to perform the job method provided by embodiments of the application.

[0159] The above computer readable storage medium can adopt any combination of one or more computer readable media. The computer readable medium can be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable storage medium may, for example, but is not limited to, an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, device or component, or any combination thereof. More specific examples (non-exhaustive list) of the computer readable storage medium include: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) or a flash memory, an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof. In this document, the computer readable storage medium can be any tangible medium containing or storing a program that can be used by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, device or component.

[0160] In the embodiments of the present application, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. The "and / or" describes the association relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three kinds of relationships, for example, A and / or B, which can represent the cases of A alone, A and B together, and B alone. Wherein A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally represents that the associated objects before and after it are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" and the like means any combination of these items, including any combination of single or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b and c can represent: a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, or a-b-c, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0161] Those skilled in the art can realize that the units and algorithm steps described in the embodiments disclosed herein can be realized by electronic hardware, computer software and combination of the electronic hardware and computer software. Whether the functions are realized in hardware or software mode depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. The skilled person can use different methods to realize the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0162] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of the description, the specific working processes of the above-described system, device and unit can refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be described here. The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, and any skilled person in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be covered within the protection scope of the present application. The protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A job method applied in a first image forming apparatus in a cluster of image forming apparatuses, characterized by, The first image forming apparatus executes the job method, comprising: determining a resource requirement list required for completing a current job in response to a job requirement; determining whether a first image processing performance of the first image forming apparatus itself meets the resource requirement of the current job; when the first image processing performance of the first image forming apparatus itself cannot meet the current job, obtaining a plurality of second image processing performances corresponding to a plurality of second image forming apparatuses in the same local area network as the first image forming apparatus; determining a target image processing performance and a target image forming apparatus of the target image processing performance from the plurality of second image processing performances according to a remaining image processing performance required by the current job; calling the target image processing performance of the target image forming apparatus and the first image processing performance to execute the current job at the first image forming apparatus.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first image processing performance of the first image forming apparatus itself cannot meet the current job, and a plurality of second image processing performances corresponding to a plurality of second image forming apparatuses in the same local area network as the first image forming apparatus are obtained, comprising: when the first image processing performance of the first image forming apparatus itself cannot meet the current job, determining a plurality of remaining image processing performances required by the first image forming apparatus according to the resource requirement list required by the current job; starting an SSDP simple discovery service to search for other image forming apparatuses according to the plurality of remaining image processing performances in the same local area network; when a plurality of second image forming apparatuses having any of the plurality of remaining image processing performances are searched, generating a device resource list of the plurality of second image forming apparatuses, wherein the device resource list includes the second image processing performances corresponding to the plurality of second image forming apparatuses.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, After the plurality of second image forming apparatuses having any of the plurality of remaining image processing performances are searched, the device resource list of the plurality of second image forming apparatuses is generated, comprising: sorting the plurality of second image processing performances in the device resource list according to priority information of the plurality of second image forming apparatuses to form an updated device resource list.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The target image processing performance and the target image forming apparatus of the target image processing performance are determined from the plurality of second image processing performances according to the remaining image processing performance required by the current job, comprising: obtaining working state information of each second image processing performance in response, wherein the working state information is used to indicate that the second image processing performance is in a disabled state or an available state; the second image processing performance with the available state of the working state information is taken as the target image processing performance, and the device corresponding to the target image processing performance is taken as the target image forming apparatus.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The target image processing performance of the target image forming apparatus and the first image processing performance are called to execute the current job at the first image forming apparatus, comprising: establishing resource mapping between the first image forming apparatus and the plurality of target image forming apparatuses; invoking target image processing capabilities of a number of the target image forming devices through a remote protocol to be integrated in the first image forming device; performing a first image operation of the current job through the first image processing capability and a number of remaining image operations of the current job through a number of the target image processing capabilities to enable the first image forming device to perform the current job.

6. The method according to claim 1 or 5, characterized in that, The invoking employs an RPC remote procedure call service.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first image forming device and a plurality of the second image forming devices form a distributed system; when a new image forming device is detected to join the distributed system, image processing capabilities possessed by the new image forming device after successful joining are shared to other image forming devices.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first image processing capability and each of the second image processing capabilities refer to image processing hardware resources for implementing different image processing functions, which include but are not limited to one or more of a scanning image processing unit, a scaling image processing unit, a rotating image processing unit, a translating image processing unit, a scaling image processing unit, a gray scale transforming image processing unit, a filtering image processing unit, and a converting image processing unit.

9. An image forming apparatus cluster, characterized by comprising: The image forming device cluster includes a first image forming device and a plurality of second image forming devices in a same local area network as the first image forming device, wherein The first image forming device determines a resource requirement list required for completing a current job in response to a job requirement, and determines whether a first image processing capability of the first image forming device itself meets resource requirements of the current job; When the first image processing capability of the first image forming device itself cannot meet the current job, a plurality of second image processing capabilities corresponding to a plurality of second image forming devices in a same local area network as the first image forming device are acquired; According to remaining image processing capabilities required by the current job, target image processing capabilities and target image forming devices of the target image processing capabilities are determined from the plurality of second image processing capabilities; Target image processing capabilities of the target image forming devices and the first image processing capability are invoked to perform the current job at the first image forming device. 10.The image forming device cluster of claim 9, wherein When the first image processing capability of the first image forming device itself cannot meet the current job, a plurality of second image processing capabilities corresponding to a plurality of second image forming devices in a same local area network as the first image forming device are acquired, including: When the first image processing capability of the first image forming device itself cannot meet the current job, a number of remaining image processing capabilities required by the first image forming device are determined according to a resource requirement list required by the current job; A SSDP simple discovery service is started to search for other image forming devices in the same local area network according to the number of remaining image processing capabilities; When a number of second image forming devices having any of the number of remaining image processing capabilities are searched, a device resource list of the number of second image forming devices is generated, wherein the device resource list includes second image processing capabilities corresponding to the number of second image forming devices. 11.The image forming device cluster of claim 9, wherein The target image processing performance and the target image forming device of the target image processing performance are determined from a plurality of second image processing performances according to a remaining image processing performance required by the current job, comprising: Obtaining working state information of each second image processing performance in response, wherein the working state information is used to indicate that the second image processing performance is in a disabled state or an available state; The second image processing performance with the working state information being the available state is taken as the target image processing performance, and the device corresponding to the target image processing performance is taken as the target image forming device. 12.The image forming device cluster of claim 9, wherein The first image processing performance and each second image processing performance refer to image processing hardware resources for realizing different image processing functions, which include but are not limited to one or more of a scanning image processing unit, a scaling image processing unit, a rotating image processing unit, a translating image processing unit, a scaling image processing unit, a gray scale transformation image processing unit, a filtering image processing unit and a conversion image processing unit. 13.The image forming device cluster of claim 9, wherein The first image forming device and a plurality of second image forming devices constitute a distributed system; when a new image forming device is detected to join the distributed system, the image processing performance possessed by the new image forming device after successful joining is shared to other image forming devices.

14. A storage medium, the storage medium comprising a stored program, characterized in that The storage medium is controlled to execute the job method of any one of claims 1 to 8 when the program is running.

Images